If you love to watch MMA fights like I do, then you may have that itch to place a bet on an upcoming fight.  But a lot of people are wondering how fight betting works.

MMA Betting Explained

The key form of MMA betting is the money line.  You are betting which fighter is going to win.  The sports books then determine a percentage chance of winning for each match.  Then they assign the line based on that percentage.

You can see what each percent translates to with our money line converter.  Underdogs will have a plus in front of their number while favorites will be negative.

So for example a fight might have the following:

Ronda Rousey -1000
Holly Holm +800

Ronda would be a huge favorite here.  You would have to bet $10 just to win $1.  If you take Holly then for each $1 you wager you would get $8 in winnings if she comes out on top.

Round Totals

There are also a few books that offer over-unders.  These “totals” wagers for fighting work based off of the rounds.  The number is usually 1.5 rounds. You bet one whether you think the fight will finish before or after that point.

As the UFC continues to get bigger and better, more and more people are starting to go into wagering on MMA.  There is also an appetite for the other promotions like Bellator, Invicta, and WSOF.

It’s not quite up there with the other major sports yet. Still, it’s definitely something where you can make some money if you do your homework.

This page has the latest UFC betting lines from our most recommended sportsbooks. Be sure to check back if the lines aren’t available for a specific fight. This feed is updated on a consistent basis.

If you are considering wagering, it’s worth opening an account at multiple books. It’s something I encourage every better to do no matter what sport they are betting. Having an option between +150 and +155 might not seem like much. But over the long run you are costing yourself money if you aren’t able to get the +155 option.

My advice to someone who is new to gambling on MMA is to be extra cautious of taking heavy favorites. Risking anything more than -300 puts you in danger of digging a big hole.

What I like to do is look for value with the underdogs. If you follow the sport, you will see that there are a lot of fights where the wrong fighter is favored. Often the favorite is getting way too much respect from the oddsmakers.